Christian Nationalism

 

Christian Nationalism            Gerry OShea

Christian nationalism is best understood as an ideology highlighting the belief that God’s providence was involved in the American break with English rule in the 1775 Revolution. Adherents to this creed see the divine finger of approval guiding the revolutionaries in forming a new Christian country and in a continuing influence since.

It suggests that real Americans should be baptized Christians who subscribe to a country with a special moral assignment allegedly sanctified by their god. Christian nationalism exists in a spectrum from the quiet but insidious kind evident among most evangelicals to the prominent leadership roles played in our time by the likes of Representative Lauren Boebert from Colorado, Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida, Senator Joshua Hawley from Missouri, Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court and a multitude of others who believe that the separation of church and state was never meant to preclude their conviction about a Christian America.

In the 1860s, during the American Civil War, the Confederates preached that God was on their side, and their constitution embraced the Christian deity as its driving force. Their enemies, the elected government led by Abraham Lincoln, were characterized as godless people who didn’t even claim a divine imprimatur for their constitution.

 The South pledged allegiance to what they called “a uniquely Christian nation.” Their declared motto, “Deo Vindice,” (God will avenge) left no doubt about their sense of moral superiority. They claimed their Christian god’s approval for a slave-owning state where their nativist understanding of the bible was used to justify their actions in a long and bloody war.

 In retrospect, it is hard to imagine a godly people, presumably well-versed in the New Testament, fighting a war to maintain the enslavement of other human beings.

Christian nationalism in our time is appropriately viewed as a constellation of beliefs that seek to fuse American and Christian identities. It sees “real” Americans as Christians, not the kind that preach wild ideas about equality and social justice as spoken of by Christ, but favoring a narrow political perspective where non-white foreigners are unwelcome and white men hold all the power.

A study conducted in May of 2022 shows that the strongest brand of Christian nationalism can be found among white Republicans who identify as born-again Christians. 78% of this demographic express approval of the United States as a Christian nation, while 48% of the broader Republican community affirm their acceptance of the same concept.

Conspiracies abound in every nook and cranny of this theocratic ideology. For instance, the QAnon movement, which enjoys the support of millions and was recently praised by Mr. Trump, preaches that a deep state cabal of satanic pedophiles is running a secret sex-trafficking ring that is expanding in Joe Biden’s government. The QAnon goal, supposedly directed from on high, focuses on supporting Donald Trump’s overriding ambition to win the next election and return to the White House.

It is very worrying that such odious rhetoric has found a growing number of adherents in the American Christian community.

The American Dream promises that if you work hard and follow the tenets of frugality and holiness as laid down in the dominant Christian culture, you can expect monetary success in the United States. It preaches good news to those who have succeeded in the community rather than focusing on the marginalized crying out for solace. Surely, those scrambling at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder need the kind word and encouraging advice more than those strutting their financial success.

For many, being a nationalist means waving the Christian flag and applauding their nation above all the others. It is a type of worship of one tribe over those seen as opponents. This kind of nationalism, common among American Christians, rejects the idea of offering a helping hand to the stranger despite the core Old and New Testament message about opening our hearts to the needy foreigner.

A country where one religion is privileged is correctly dubbed a theocracy and can never claim to be a democracy. We are talking here about a power game where God is used to justify domination over new immigrants and people of color.

Scholars have shown that Christian nationalism is fueled by white racial victimhood. Racial diversity is viewed as a threat, sure to generate strong negative feelings among most of the far-right community in America.

The link between political violence and MAGA beliefs is on daily display. It incorporates a strong feeling of white identity, sauced by a pervading sense of victimhood and nursed by a plethora of conspiracy theories.

Born-again Christians are likely to view Catholics with a jaundiced eye. Throughout the 19^th century, they did not welcome the masses of Catholics, especially from Ireland, all baptized and badged as Christians, fleeing starvation, questing the good life in America.

Catholics were deemed inferior because of their frequently wild unkempt appearance and, worse still, their allegiance to Rome. Often barely scrabbling to exist, they were fingered as drunks and public nuisances. They were at the bottom of the pecking order; respectable Protestants held their noses when they visited any of the papish ghettos.

In the last presidential election, the white Catholic vote split evenly between a devout Catholic, Joseph Biden, and a man of dubious moral character, Donald Trump. The Harris-Walz Democrat team believes that more young voters from all religious backgrounds are shying away from Christian absolutism and that they will do better, especially with Catholic voters in November.

Gerry OShea blogs at wemustbetalking.com